BANFF – Banff resident Anne Steggalls is riding high from her experience with the Bike All Winter program.
Always a keen cyclist, Steggalls said that moving to Banff where she wasn’t comfortable riding her bike on winter roads for about eight months of the year was always disappointing.
But she said that changed when she got help from the Community Cruisers’ Bike All Winter, a program that launched in September 2020.
Open to Banff and Canmore residents, it helps people winterize their bikes, including free or subsidized winter bicycle tires, lights and fenders, training on winter bike riding, as well as a mentor in exchange for a commitment to winter riding.
“I would never have been able to afford the studded tires on my own so when I heard about the Bike All Winter program, I jumped at the chance,” Steggalls said.
“They were excellent when I picked up my new gear and fitted the tires and mudguards on my bike for me, which I would never have been able to do.”
Instead of driving her car home to walk her dog on her lunch break, Steggalls now races home on her bike.
“I also sold my car this summer because I wouldn’t be needing it in the winter, too. So thanks to the program we are down to a one-car family and it has saved our household lots,” she said.
“Sometimes I feel safer on my bike with my studded tires than I do walking along the icy sidewalks.”
In support of Bike All Winter, Banff's elected officials have decided to kick in $10,000 in core operating funding to help Community Cruisers to increase the number of people using bikes for transportation during the winter months.
The funding, coming from visitor paid parking revenue and not tax supported, won’t be final until the budget is passed in January. The Town of Canmore earmarked $6,000 for the Bike all Winter program in 2023-24.
Alison Gerrits, director of community services for the Town of Banff, said the funding aligns with council’s priority around increasing winter cycling, adding it would be used to support a mentor contract, winter bike equipment and program promotion.
Recognizing the value of this program and its ability to realize transportation mode shift, Gerrits said the intention is to ensure there are no gaps in delivery in Banff through the provision of a contracted mentor for Banff.
“The mentor assists residents in signing up for the program, supplies the winter equipment and provides support through check-ins in the winter season to ensure they are confidently cycling,” she said.
Mayor Corrie DiManno voiced strong support for the funding, saying the Bike All Winter program helps keep residents biking as their commuting option year-round.
“I am so happy every time I see people biking in winter. I think it’s so befitting of our national park community. I love the vibe of seeing people biking in winter,” she said.
“It hits so many of our goals, particularly affordability, environment and improving our sustainable transportation network.”
Coun. Barb Pelham was unsuccessful in her bid to lower the amount from $10,000 to $4,000, to include funding for only the mentorship part of Bike All Winter.
“I do feel it’s valuable to support the culture and the educational component and camaraderie of winter cycling,” she said.
“My concern in the budget is really related to supporting our local businesses. We have two local bike shops in town who do provide the hardware for winter cycling and we also have a rebate program through the Town of Banff that supports winter cycling as well.”
When talk turned to bike shops, Coun. Kaylee Ram declared a pecuniary interest because she has a business in town that may be financially impacted by the decision.
The Town of Banff has implemented many active mode shift initiatives over the years in efforts to increase active transportation by residents and visitors.
This has included rebate programs for walking cleats, studded bike tires and an e-bike rebate program.
Between e-bikes, studded tires and walking aids, there were 715 applications in 2023 for total rebates of $105,000.
In the 2022-23 survey of participants of Bike All winter, cyclists indicated the program helped them feel safe commuting, reduced commuting time and kept them active and almost all participants felt studded tires, fenders and lights benefited their winter cycling experience.
In the survey, all participants said they would ride their again bike next winter, while many participants indicated that poor snow removal was the top barrier to winter cycling.
